Use evidence from one of the quotes below to support the theme of "People's opinions sometimes matter more than the truth" from "The Piece of String" by Guy de Maupassant.



Your paragraph must include a minimum of four sentences, including the following:

___ Copy and paste this topic sentence: In "The Piece of String," Guy de Maupassant developed the theme of "People's opinions sometimes matter more than the truth."

___ text evidence (a direct quote from one of the choices below -- do not use the full quote!)

___ explanation of how text evidence supports your answer

___ a closing sentence


"A horse dealer of Montivilliers shouted at him 'Get out, get out, you old scamp! I know all about your old string.'

Hauchecorne stammered, 'But since they found it again, the pocketbook!'

But the other continued, 'Hold your tongue, old one, there's one who finds it and there's another who returns it. And no one the wiser ...

He went home indignant, choking with rage, with confusion, the more cast down since with his Norman craftiness he was, perhaps, capable of having done what they accused him of and even of boasting of it as a good trick. He was dimly conscious that it was impossible to prove his innocence, his craftiness being so well known. He felt himself struck to the heart by the injustice of the suspicion." (Maupassant 319)

"He began anew to tell his tale, lengthening his recital each day, each day adding new proofs, more energetic declarations and more sacred oaths, which he thought of and prepared in his hours of solitude, for his mind was entirely occupied with the story of the string. The more he denied it, the more complicated his arguments, the less he was believed.

'Those are liars' proofs,' they said behind his back.

Jokers would make him tell the story of 'the piece of string' to amuse them, just as you make a soldier who has been on a campaign tell his story of the battle." (Maupassant 320)